Trump has pushed to use the U.S. military to scuttle cartels. In February, he designated Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua, as well as six groups in Mexico and MS-13 in El Salvador, as foreign terrorist organizations. The President signed a secret directive to the Pentagon to use military force against these cartels, sources told the New York Times earlier this month.
The Administration has sought to counter the inflow of drugs, especially fentanyl, through tariffs, such as imposing tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico, citing the countries’ “failure” to stop fentanyl smuggling into the U.S. And Trump issued penalty tariffs on countries that buy oil from Venezuela in March, highlighting the threat of Tren de Aragua to the U.S.
Trump has also targeted Venezuelans on immigration issues, revoking the protected status of hundreds of thousands of Venezuelan immigrants in the U.S. and deporting 238 Venezuelans in March to an El Salvadoran prison as part of a mass deportation campaign claiming to target alleged gang members. U.S. courts have ordered the return of several of those who were wrongfully deported, while many other deportees reject the allegations against them.
Trump sends missile destroyers to Venezuelan waters
On Monday, the U.S. government ordered three U.S. Navy missile destroyers—USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham and USS Sampson—and around 4,000 military personnel to the edge of Venezuela’s territorial waters, according to Reuters. The Administration confirmed to CNN last week that it had ordered naval movements as part of an effort to stymie drug trafficking.
The Trump Administration is also committing additional military assets in the broader region within international airspace and waters, including several P-8 spy planes, warships, and an attack submarine, an official told Reuters.
Venezuela mobilizes millions of militia fighters
“This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory—militias that are prepared, activated and armed,” Maduro said Monday.
The Venezuelan Militia was created in 2005 by the late President Hugo Chávez and formally established in 2010.
Maduro’s plan will involve mobilizing peasant and worker militias “in all factories and workplaces in the country” and providing “missiles and rifles for the working class, to defend our homeland,” the Venezuelan President said Monday. Maduro called U.S. threats “rotten rehashes” and “extravagant, bizarre, and outlandish.”
The Venezuelan government also temporarily banned the purchase, sale, and operation of drones in Venezuelan airspace on Tuesday. A drone laden with explosives detonated near Maduro in 2018 in an apparent assassination attempt, which resulted in the arrest warrants for more than two dozen people, including one who later died under mysterious circumstances, and the convictions of 17 people, including opposition leader Juan Requesens.
“Washington’s accusing Venezuela of drug trafficking reveals its lack of credibility and the failure of its policies in the region,” Venezuela’s foreign ministry said in a Tuesday statement. “While Washington threatens, Venezuela advances firmly in peace and sovereignty, demonstrating that true effectiveness against crime is achieved by respecting the independence of the people. Every aggressive declaration confirms the inability of imperialism to subdue a free and sovereign people.”
